Normal Van temp gauge reading

[hughdawgmmkay]

I'm sure infrared thermometers are awesome, but frankly I've never used one so I'd be a little skittish about trusting one. There's also the possibility of it reading correctly, but perhaps reading other heat passing by from other areas (like exhaust manifold). For that reason I'd want a submerged temp probe (so you know you're reading actual coolant temperature). Digital meat thermometers are cheap, accurate, and fall within the range we're after, so I'd get the van to temp, then (carefully) remove the radiator cap and stick the probe down into the coolant.

Better yet, since you've invested so much in your van, wouldn't you feel better knowing at a glance what the temp is at any given moment? There's lots of nice accurate temp gauges to choose from, but I personally like Koso because they're reasonably priced, accurate, and easy to read:

Alright everyone, the mystery has been SOLVED!

I followed Tim's advice and installed a KOSO temp gauge and found out my van is running 175 - 190! Even after installing an OEM temperature sending unit, my gauge is way off. Looks like I'll be relying on the new gauge instead of my stock gauge.

I can also rest assured that I now have an all new cooling system . Looks like I'm ready to head to Key West in April for the first major trip.

Thank you all again for the generous help.

-Hugh

[timsrv]

That's awesome

[Gambit]

Quick temp question - I've installed the Koso gauge and all is good while the van is running. But after shutting it off and coming back to it 15 minutes later, I now know how hot it can get AFTER the coolant stops flowing and the engine is off. I've seen it up to 217* before plateauing and very slowly dropping.

Once the engine is back on, it does drop quickly, but is this high temp while off something to be concerned with?

One side effect of this gauge is that I now seem to be hyper aware of my temp at all times!

[timsrv]

This is normal, the only difference being you are now aware. Higher temps while running can create issues due to the dissimilar rate metals expand/contract. When the engine is at rest temperatures are far less critical as there are no moving parts. When started temps quickly drop, so not really an issue there either.

I like this gauge for the same reasons you point out. Always good to be aware of engine temp as overheating is the leading cause of blown head gaskets (not fun). Tim

[trestlehed]

Quick temp question - I've installed the Koso gauge and all is good while the van is running. But after shutting it off and coming back to it 15 minutes later, I now know how hot it can get AFTER the coolant stops flowing and the engine is off. I've seen it up to 217* before plateauing and very slowly dropping.

An easy way to mitigate the "heat bubble" effect is to roll down your front windows and prop open your driver's seat/engine bay lid. I've been doing this for years now, even after all the work on my cooling system has been
completed.

[Gambit]

Great - thanks all! This site is a fantastic resource

[bushcat]

I just want to add that I also had an issue of the stock temperature gauge being off. Mine showed very close to the red at times but when installing the aftermarket temp gauge, it showed normal operating temperature. I'd say the first thing to do is add an aftermarket temp gauge like the Koso before you start addressing other things.